Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-05-07

A PRONUNCIATION TEST.

From the New York Christian Advocate.
A great many pronunciation tests
have been written and printed.
Some have been useful and Others
have not been.
The Rev. William Onrant, q culti-
waited Presbyterian minister, lately
prepared the following collection of
words more or less used in reading
and conversation.
He is neighbor of the editor of
the Christian ADVOCATE, and has
printed this only in a local paper
which circulates in the suburb of
New York where he lives. I have
read it carefully and think that IL
contains most of the words, in gen
eral or frequent use, which persons
are likely to mispronounce. who
ever can pronounce these words cor
rectlv will seldom be caught in
serious mistake. | place it here
that the Young ladies and gentle
men who read this paper may have
both profit and amusement from 1t.
Procure dictionary when you are
at home or in q social company. and
set one of your number to reading.
Whenever q pronunciation is criti-
ciseG turn at once to the Dictionary,
and if there has been an error let the
next one begin to read at the place
where the first broke down, and so
on till the whole is read. Thus you
will master the pronunciation of the
words according to the Standard
Dictionary and have great deal Of
diversion in the reading:
Last Tuesday, fortnight, the bias
phemous and sacrilegious Aaron
Cromwell, alias Endymion Disraeli,
entered the ornale legislative hall of
Cincinnati. He will be remembered
as the slothful but serviie secretary
and ally of the alien italian minister
extraordinary, accredited to the iso-
lated and hospitable Hawaiian is
lands Having idveigled an idle
ruflian, brigand from Palestine, in
the onerous scheme, he babe him
fasten a tiny pristine idol with gum
arabic beneath the corridor of the
cupola, rear the. roof. The figure Of
this false god had been encased, with
much ceremony, in cerements of sub
tile alpaca and bombazine or cassi-
mere, and cashmere shawl wrap
ped deity around the whole by a I
subtitle artifice in Balmoral castle.
simultaneously with their entrance
the Stewards sagacous and supple |
mongreal of the canine species leap
ed toward the monomaniacs from his |
sinocure position on the squalid mis-
tress of the matron's Office bedstead. |
Usually docile but hungry, the dog
was always fertile in resources and |
apt to make an opponent of every as |
pirant for the penitentiary. It's sud !
den and sOnorOus bowls, unlike the |
soft soughing Of the wind on the !
subsistence of storm in the forest, |
were indicatory Of splenetic wrath !
worthy of a yirago. With lamenta-
bic indecorous pathos the men shout |
ed, 'Begone to the antipodes, the
horizon, or the zenith and directly
fled into the International Museum,
the door of which opened immediate
ly at the peremptory demand.
Now that the epoch of their omin-
Gus ordeal was past, with jaunty air
and hypocrital raillery the scathless
Williams made inquiry of a courteous
adult agriculturist for catalogue of
the curiosities in the museum. Ac-
cording to placards and advertise
ments its sale was OBLIGATORY in this
alleged venue. Brethren said he,
"the robust and ford florist yonder !